Saturday, August 25, 2012

Body Broken by Charles Drew

Body
Broken is an updated and revised version of A Public Faith
(NavPress, 2000).

Drew
finds it sad that the body of Christ should be divided along
political lines. The church has what it takes to be different from
every other social institution in the world. Pondering how serious
minded Republicans, Democrats and Independents worship together
brought him to preach a serious of sermons that became this book.

To help
those who want to celebrate their unity in Christ, he makes some
distinctions in this book: distinction between moral principle and
political strategy, between the calling of individuals and the
calling of the church, and between theocracy and influence.

He
addresses the question of how Christians should respond to what have
named the culture wars. Do we remove ourselves or do we fight?

He has
ordered this book around the Bible. He identifies our misdirected
worship as the deepest cause for the heat in our political
disagreements. He calls us to put our trust in God's sovereign rule.

He
clarifies the priorities of the church in public life. He explores
the ramifications of Jesus' teaching about what belongs to Caesar and
what belongs to God. He ends his book with ways of affecting social
and political change that lies outside of the world of politics.

He has
questions at the end of each chapter. While you could make good use
of them on your own, they would be better used in a group setting.

Some
will certainly bristle at what Drew suggests. For example, that hope
in politics may have become an idol, or that we are not to make
America legally Christian, or that we do not value God's glory above
political goals.

I found
his suggestions very valuable. Respect people. “Whatever we do as
American citizens we must always act upon our King's operating
principle that people are more important than politics or power.”
(107) Look for ways to cooperate – Christians working together in
a fallen world. Use your gifts and opportunities to bring the reign
of Christ to bear upon your particular world. Choose to do what is
right. Keep it simple.

In this
year of national elections when feelings run strong, I recommend
reading this book to help each of us keep politics and God's rule in
perspective.

Charles
Drew has pastored for thirty years in Virginia, Long Island, and New
York, all in university settings. He presently serves as the senior
minister at Emmanuel Presbyterian Church, near Columbia University.

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I am a retired Christian bookstore owner of 33 years. I still love books and read as many as I can, blogging my reviews. I have also taken up photography and sell photos of Whidbey Island and nearby landscapes.